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Syria: No Canadian military mission planned, Stephen Harper says

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada supports its allies who are considering military action in Syria.

Free Syrian Army fighters drive a military tank that belonged to the forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad after they seized it, in Aleppo's town of Khanasir August 29, 2013. (REUTERS)

By The Canadian Press

Thu., Aug. 29, 2013

Canada has no plans for a military intervention in Syria but supports its allies who are contemplating forceful action against that country’s regime, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.

Harper admitted that lack of international action in light of the apparent use of chemical weapons would set an “extremely dangerous precedent,” but added his government has been reluctant to the idea of a western strike.

“Our government has been a very reluctant convert to the idea that there needs to be some western military action regarding the Syrian situation,” he told reporters at an event in Toronto on Thursday.

“At the present time the government of Canada has no plans, we have no plans of our own to have a Canadian military mission.”

Harper said the conflict in Syria is “overwhelmingly sectarian in nature” and doesn’t appear to have any “ideal or obvious outcomes” for a solution at present.

He added, however, that Canada stood behind other western powers weighing the possibility of a mission involving Syria.

“We do support our allies who are contemplating forceful action to deal with this.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad has said his country “will defend itself against any aggression,” signalling defiance to mounting Western warnings of a possible punitive strike.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that the Syrian government was responsible for a chemical weapons attack on its own people, laying the groundwork for an expected U.S. military strike.

Obama said the U.S. has concluded that Assad’s regime perpetrated a Aug. 21 attack near Damascus, which killed at least 100 Syrians.

But British Prime Minister David Cameron is promising to hold off on any action until a UN inspection team on the ground can complete its investigation.

The UN says the team should wrap up its inspection Friday and report its findings Saturday.

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